It’s finally summer! You want to know how I can tell? It's not because
the trees are blooming, not because the flowers have blossomed, and not even
because everyone is firing up their barbeques. Within the last five or six
years we have been able to accurately mark the beginning of summertime with the
first big superhero blockbuster release of the year. Kicking off this season, we
have just been treated to the newest addition of the Marvel production line,
“Iron Man 3”.
Generating
a gazillion dollars with last year’s “The Avengers”, Marvel Studios –now owned in part by
Disney—is ready to begin what they are calling phase-two of their machine. By
creating a multi-stranded franchise universe, they have been able to release
films like they would with separate issues of their comic books. We have the
origin stories, sequel adventures, and one very profitable crossover event. This
strange and ambitious model has been made possible because of the initial
success and appeal of the first “Iron Man” movie back in 2008. And in part,
that film—based on a lesser-known, B-hero at best—may have not been the game-changer
it was had it not been for the brilliant casting of everyone’s favorite
recovery story, Robert Downy Jr.
Following
the events of “The Avengers”, Tony Start/Iron Man (Downy Jr.), is now dealing
with post-traumatic stress disorder due to of his near-death, world saving
experiences. Because he can’t sleep he spends his nights awake modifying his
high tech armors and building new ones; even some he can control without
wearing. Meanwhile a new terrorist called The Mandarin (Sir. Ben Kingsley), has
been bombing isolated targets and when Tony’s bodyguard gets caught in the
crossfire, he invites the villain to take part in an all-out war on his turf. Meanwhile, meanwhile, an old science colleague
of our hero named Aldrich Killian (Guy Peirce) is working on a regenerative
technology that may a may not be shady.
…Oh and
also, Stark’s lover Pepper Pots (Gwyneth Paltrow) gets kidnapped, Don Cheadle
as War Machine has now become a government owned mercenary called the Iron
Patriot, and for some reason it all takes place during Christmas.
Unlike
the other two “Iron Man” films, this addition is a lot less afraid to adhere to
the traditional superhero framework.
Tony spends much of the picture out of costume and without the tech that
gives him his powers. Perhaps inspired some by the tortured, reluctant hero motifs
of Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” movies, “Iron Man 3” seems to be much more
interested in pushing this character into new emotional and procedural
obstacles by taking everything away from him and seeing how he is able to build
himself back up. This makes for a very original and idiosyncratic hero flick
but one that might confuse or frustrate the usual Marvel fanboys.
With
three too many side characters, two too many subplots and an overlong, sagging
middle act, at two hours and twenty minutes the movie can’t help but feel more than a little labored and unwieldy. In trading director John Favreau for “Lethal
Weapon” writer Shane Black, this sequel seems to shove the big action spectacle
aside for a more actor-friendly, performance oriented movie. But because Disney
paid big bucks for this thing, it still has to ring all those superhero bells
too, and what results is a sometimes exciting, sometimes quite funny, but
ultimately muddled experience.
Of
course, even while the storytelling is episodic, the pacing is inconsistent,
and the reveals are deflating—or in some cases, just flat-out lame— what keeps
you going is the fact that Tony Stark is an interesting character and with the
addition of Shane Black’s fantastic dialogue, performed by the always
entertaining Robert Downy Jr., you don’t mind walking the meandering trail from
point-A to point-B.
Grade: B -
Originally published in the Idaho State Journal/May-2013
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